Vehicles may use a jet pump to provide a fluid to various systems in an internal combustion engine. For example, a jet pump may be used to pump fuel through a fuel delivery system, to pump coolant through a cooling system, etc. Jet pumps incorporate the Venturi effect by utilizing a pressure force to increase a velocity of a motive fluid. In doing so, a low pressure zone is created and a suction fluid is entrained into a main flow of the motive fluid. As such, the motive fluid and the suction fluid mix within a region coinciding with the two fluids converging.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,132 describes a jet nozzle for a fuel supply system. The system includes a fuel nozzle, a pressure chamber that encompasses the fuel nozzle, and an ejector pump upstream from the fuel nozzle. The ejector pump enables a fluid to be discharged from the nozzle and creates a negative pressure within the pressure chamber to suction fluid into pressure chamber. The fluid discharged from the nozzle and the fluid suctioned into the pressure chamber converges within a converging portion.
The inventors herein have recognized various issues with the above system. In particular, mixing of the fluid discharged from the nozzle and the fluid from the pressure chamber involves a lengthy converging portion.
As such, one example approach to address the above issues is to provide a flow divider that streamlines a suctioned fluid flow prior to converging with a fluid released from a jet nozzle. In this way, it is possible to align the suctioned fluid flow with a primary flow direction, prior to the suctioned flow entering a mixing region downstream from the jet nozzle. In one embodiment, the flow divider may be positioned opposite from a suction passage opening, such that the jet nozzle is positioned between the flow divider and the opening. Further, the flow divider may include a flow divider portion and a streamline portion. This example configuration enables the suctioned fluid to be entrained nearly semi-circumferentially around the nozzle such that a flow pathway is directed by the flow divider portion and aligned with the primary flow direction by the streamline portion. Thus, by taking advantage of the flow divider, a higher primary flow rate for a given pressure can be achieved.
Note that the flow divider may have various suitable geometries, including having a fin shape or another shaped extending protuberance. Further, a jet pump assembly apparatus may include more than one flow divider, if desired.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.